Over the weekend, the South Dakota Hardrockers (D-II) beat the Colorado Mines Orediggers (D-II) for the first time in 100 years.
While that is mighty impressive in its own right, it was this tweet from @RedditCFB that immediately captured my attention.
How cool is that? One side of the stadium is traditional bleachers, while the other side is a two-tiered parking lot where fans can tailgate and enjoy the game from the comfort of their vehicle. The parking spots aren't actually in the stadium, they instead sit on a hill just on the outskirts, but have a great view. A game day ramp pass runs about $30, according to the Rapid City Journal, and tailgaters also have to pay the price of admission to the stadium.
Looking through the mentions after that tweet from RedditCFB, it appears that McDaniel College (D-III - MD) has a similar setup where fans can watch the game and tailgate at the same time.
As a player, I can remember making the road trip to Case Western Reserve (D-III - OH) for a game, where the visitors sideline butted right up to some campus dorms, so students could enjoy themselves in their rooms while heckling the visiting team as they stretched and warmed up. On the other side, the home team stands were built into a parking structure where fans tailgated at the top before, during, and after the game, creating a really unique atmosphere.
Surely, there are other great, and unique tailgating spots like these outside of the FBS ranks, but those are the ones that immediately came to mind after seeing Reddit's tweet over the weekend.
If you want to share more great game day college football atmospheres outside the FBS ranks, let me know what makes them special at doug@footballscoop.com or via Twitter @CoachSamz